Hello, Welcome to the Altium Learning Hub

Canada is in a race with other countries to establish itself as a key player in the semiconductor sector by making strategic moves in the global semiconductor industry. With investments exceeding $150 million, initiatives like the FABrIC network, and a focus on critical mineral resources, the country is bolstering its design, manufacturing, and research capabilities. Canada's expertise in advanced packaging, MEMS, and compound semiconductors...

The electronics industry is a notoriously highly regulated sector, as you would expect, given its importance in our daily lives. This is particularly true when it comes to defense and aerospace applications. Two key regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), govern the export, import, and use of defense-related technologies; non-compliance with these...

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." — Stephen Covey You probably have a pretty good idea of what the main things are for your procurement role, and you probably don't get enough time to focus on them. The unrealized costs of not getting things done are called hidden costs.  For example, if you don't have time to focus on an annual purchase agreement for $1 million and leave 2% on the table, the hidden cost is $20,000.  L...

Industry standards are crucial to maintaining product quality and ensuring that the aerospace and defense sectors receive safe and reliable parts. There is also the added benefit of transparency—buyers are able to visualize the procurement and supply chain processes and the care taken to eliminate defective and counterfeit products from their inventories.  AS6081 is one of those standards leveraged by the electronics sector and is crucial to the...

PCB design teams rely heavily—increasingly, even—on collaboration through digital platforms to bring new products to market. Spread across different locations and often relying on remote work, these teams depend on tech solutions to share large files like schematics, Gerbers, and bills of materials (BOMs). However, this collaborative spirit comes with a sizable shadow: the ever-present threat of data breaches. And that shadow continues to grow...

As the rate of technical change increases year-on-year, the frequency of design change requests and the resulting reworks keeps designers in a position of anticipation. Not knowing the kinds of adaptations to come down the pipeline—for a variety of reasons—makes it increasingly challenging to meet requirements at the required rate.  This is where process and transparency come into play as designers benefit from proactive communication—a...

DesignCon is the premier high-speed communications and system design event, bringing together engineers, designers, and industry leaders to explore cutting-edge tools and technologies. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, DesignCon 2025 will take place January 28–30 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. With a conference featuring 14 expertly curated tracks and an expo showcasing the latest advancements, this is the...

Every PCB designer knows the drill: research and select components that meet specifications, document your decisions, and somehow keep track of it all throughout the design process. Between searching for available parts that meet project requirements, checking stock availability, and capturing documentation, the overall procurement process can consume a significant portion of design time. And as designs become more complex, each step becomes...

Why did we choose this voltage regulator? What requirement drove the selection of that capacitor? What were the thermal constraints that led to this power management IC? Electronics engineers often find themselves working like archaeologists, carefully excavating through layers of old design decisions to understand why specific components were chosen. Six months after making these selections, the reasoning behind the choices can be buried under...